Posted on September 22, 2021May 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Shop-Made Bandsaw Dust Port Shop-Made Bandsaw Dust Port by John Calkin Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, September 2021 My old bandsaw was made before dust ports were added to every power machine, so I made one out of wood. It's a close copy of the heavy-gauge steel cover for the lower wheel but made out of light plywood. The dust port itself was purchased and screwed to the cover. A mahogany interface to accept the 3" vacuum hose was made to fit the port. The sides of the cover were kerfed to permit easy bending to match the original metal cover. I think the rest of the construction is self-explanatory. ◆ All photos by John Calkin
Posted on August 12, 2021May 26, 2025 by Dale Phillips Your Most Important Machine Your Most Important Machine by Teri K. Novak, D.C. from her 1995 GAL Convention workshop Originally published in American Lutherie #46, 1996 How many of you have back or neck pain at work or after your work day? In this workshop we will cover: 1) body mechanics, 2) the two main rules you should follow to avoid pain, and 3) how to apply the rules in your shop. Rule #1: All structures of your spine are under the least amount of stress when you maintain the normal curves. This means twenty-four hours a day no matter what you are doing! Fig. 1 shows what the normal curves are from the side. From the back, your spine should be maintained in a straight line. Let’s look at how your body is built to see why this rule is true. To have any body movement, (except the movement from gravity) or to change position, a muscle must contract, that is, get shorter. Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of our premium web content offered to Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. Members also receive 4 annual issues of American Lutherie and get discounts on products. For details, visit the membership page. If you are already a member, login for access or contact us to setup your account.
Posted on April 8, 2021May 22, 2025 by Dale Phillips Hand Sander Dust Collection Hand Sander Dust Collection by John Calkin Published online by Guild of American Luthiers, April 2021 Shop dust is a pervasive enemy that can cause damage to the lungs and sinuses. One of the silliest inventions ever is the dust collection bag that is hung on many hand sanders in an attempt to convince woodworkers that the manufacturers care about our health. They don't work, they might even blow off of the machine causing a dust cloud of their own, and the irregular port sizes make it difficult to improvise a vacuum hookup. I broke down and bought a new DeWalt DWE6421 sander along with the DWV9000 hose-to-sander adaptor and a 20' length of 2" hose, all for about $110 from Amazon. The long hose is to keep me as far away from the noisy shop vac as possible, though I still wear earmuffs while working. The rig works very well, much better than even the powerful down-draft table I used at Huss & Dalton Guitars. It's not perfect, though, and a particle mask should still be worn for safety. All photos by John Calkin Remember that the filter in the shop vac will clog up and need cleaning long before the collection tub is full. As the photo illustrates, it is way too easy to put off cleaning it for too long. I intend to be more diligent. ◆
Posted on January 19, 2010September 10, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Lutherie Related Skin Rash Questions: Lutherie Related Skin Rash by Udi Vachterman Originally published in American Lutherie #80, 2004 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Seven, 2015 Udi Vachterman from Rehovot, Israel writes: Way back in American Lutherie #58 there was a question from Henry Kingery of Pittsfield, IL. He wrote about a severe itchy skin rash presumably brought on by woods or chemicals in glues. He was taking a synthetic steroid to keep it in check. I know it has been a long time, but I would still like to tell him and others of my experience with a similar problem. A few years ago, just a few days after being exposed to a lot of chemicals and wood dust (an Argentinian wood called “algarrobbo,” which I believe to be “carob tree”), I noticed that small extremely itchy liquid-filled bumps started appearing on the backs of my hands, especially around the joints. With time the bumps developed into shallow wounds and spread toward my wrists. Similar symptoms appeared on my elbows and the upper part of my feet. I went to see four doctors who each had a different diagnosis of my problem. However, they all advised the same treatment, cortisone creams. Yet, they all told me that the cortisone is unlikely to cure the disease, just help manage its symptoms. However this did not make much sense to me. If I am sick, then I want to know what it is and not have four opinions of what it might be. So I went to seek advice of the local pharmacist. To my surprise, she told me that her son has, or had, to be correct, the same problem. It’s a type of psoriasis, a skin disease that is often the body’s response to a trauma caused to the skin (skin injury, skin infections, reaction to certain chemicals). Her treatment was as follows: 1. Extensive use of natural hypo-allergic moisturizing cream. 2. Fish oil (omega 3 essential fatty acids); 3 capsules daily, 1000 MG each, taken with food. 3. Tea tree essential oil used topically for itchiness. After a few months all my symptoms disappeared. My hands were almost like new and I have since built a guitar, inlaid it, and finished it without any of the above mentioned symptoms. And I can once again play my guitars without bleeding while bending strings! If anyone tries this and it helps them, I’d love to hear from them: vachterm@hotmail.com.
Posted on January 19, 2010September 9, 2025 by Dale Phillips Questions: Spalted Maple Mold Questions: Spalted Maple Mold by Bob Woodcock Originally published in American Lutherie #69, 2002 and Big Red Book of American Lutherie Volume Six, 2013 Mike Collins of Argyle, New York asks: I just came across some nice spalted maple and made a rosette of it. After I was done, a violin maker told me that you could die from the mold in the wood. Where can I get more information about this? A few days later, Mike wrote back with this information: I found a website, www.woodbox.com/data/wood/ that has some information on spalted wood and possible health problems. Here’s an excerpt: “Spalted wood may still contain spores, therefore it should always be worked and sanded only when wearing a good dust mask or respirator, and using a dust collector. There is medical evidence that substances from decaying wood are a health threat, and some allergic reactions and serious lung diseases have been traced to spores and fungi that inhabit rotting wood. The effect on an individual woodworker however depends on his/her natural tolerance to the spores and fungi, since some individuals are more likely to react to environmental toxins than others.” Become A Member to Continue Reading This Article This article is part of the Articles Online featured on our website for Guild members. To view this and other web articles, join the Guild of American Luthiers. For details, visit the membership page. MEMBERS: login for access or contact us to setup your account.
